Let’s do some simple math: I love pumpkin + Mantova is the Italian city famous for pumpkin = I went to Mantova to eat pumpkin.
Boy howdy, did I ever eat pumpkin! Me, my boyfriend, and two of our good friends drove out to an agriturismo (a farm where you can eat local food that they produce themselves) and had ourselves a pumpkin party in the countryside surrounding Mantova.
We had fried pumpkin, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin-filled tortelli (similar to ravioli), pumpkin gnocchi, and even pumpkin pudding for dessert. Pumpkin-issimo! We also had chunks of parmesan cheese with mostarda, another speciality from the region.
After eating our fill of zucca (pumpkin), we decided to go take a stroll around the old city of Mantova to work off some of that food. I took a bunch of pictures of the entire day and wanted to share them with you here below. Enjoy!
P.S. For those who are interested, the agriturismo that we went to is called Il Galeotto, and specializes in rice. In fact, the risotto was, in my opinion, the best part!
Nice pics ! I love that one with bread and …focaccia
Thanks! Focaccia is so good, right!
Very nice pics, man.
Don’t forget to try the sagra dei tortelli di Crema, next summer. Something special. Not for the town itself but for this special kind of ravioli, filled with anything that could come to your mind
– Andy
Yum! Sounds good! I’m in!
OMG! This blog entry is making me salivate!! LOVE gnocchi
And I love YOU, Passuch!
Garrett, this is a sublime post. I LOVE IT. It may have a tiny bit to do with the fact that I love zucca too. The colour, the texture, the fact that it’s so good for you is simply a bonus. And don’t get me started about pumpkin and sage. Your photos are just beautiful. E siete carinissimi, if has to be said. I haven’t been to Mantova yet but now I definitely will. Grazie a te!
Thank you so much for your kind comment!
DEF get to Mantova then! This year, the “Di Zucca In Zucca” sagra goes ’till mid December. So you still have time!!!
beautiful pictures and what a fun day out. Food must have been really good. Non sapevo che Mantova fosse famosa per la zucca. You live and learn
Ciao! Glad you enjoyed! Food was phenom!
Gorgeous…Not a great fan of Zucca but I do like Mantova…Is it like their annual sagra? or just a sometimes sagra? Do they make alcohol from it per chance?
Thanks!
I was confused when I first read your name “ilovelucca” and then saw “madaboutlucca”. I thought it was “zucca” instead of “lucca” and then thought “Hmm. Strange name for a person that doesn’t like zucca”.
To answer your questions: Yes, it’s a yearly thing. No, I don’t think they make alcohol (but I may be wrong).
Wow! I really like tortelli di zucca and I’m glad you like my hometown! I lived in Mantova for 9 years before moving to Milan! If you want to drink something typical of my city, you could try the Lambrusco! You could also put the Lambrusco in your Ravioli (non coi tortelli nè!) when you eat them in a soup!
I <3 Lambrusco! I always thought it was from Emilia Romagna. I think it's be very good in ravioli! Yum!